Berina Jaganjac

• Fleck-Baustian, Maja Charlotte; Jaganjac, Berina & Hunnes, John Arngrim (2025). The Role of Corporate Sustainability Managers in Implementing Proactive Environmental Strategies. Journal of Business Ethics. ISSN 0167-4544. doi: 10.1007/s10551-025-06159-7. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Corporate Sustainability Managers (CSMs) have emerged as pivotal change agents in advancing organizational sustainability. In particular, they play a critical role in the implementation of Proactive Environmental Strategies (PES). However, despite their growing importance, little is known about how CSMs interpret and enact their roles in driving PES within organizations. To address this gap, this study draws upon and integrates insights from the Natural-Resource-Based-View (NRBV), PES, Upper Echelons Theory (UET), and the Attention-Based View (ABV) to explore how CSMs’ individual characteristics and role perceptions shape organizational PES implementation. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with CSMs from diverse industries. The findings were content analyzed to reveal four overarching dimensions describing who CSMs are and how they implement PES: (a) CSM characteristics; (b) Organizational structure; (c) PES formulation and implementation; and (d) Barriers and enablers shaping their work. This study contributes to the sustainability and business ethics literature both theoretically and practically. Theoretically, it proposes a conceptual framework clarifying how structural and motivational dynamics shape CSMs’ agency and effectiveness. The conceptual framework further leverages NRBV and PES to outline organizational expectations, while UET and ABV illustrate individual and top management dynamics influencing CSM capabilities. Practically, this study highlights three defining dynamics—departmental placement, recruitment background, and professional purpose—that shape CSMs’ agency. Additionally, six actionable propositions are developed to support CSMs in translating sustainability ambitions into practice. These recommendations include building professional networks, promoting cross-functional collaboration, and developing clear communication strategies. Simultaneously, organizations are urged to embed PES in corporate strategies, grant CSMs access to senior leadership, and prioritize comprehensive sustainability training. This study underscores the importance of an “all-hands-on-deck” approach to addressing environmental challenges.

• Jaganjac, Berina; Hansen, Kathrine Wallevik; Lunde, Henriette & Hunnes, John Arngrim (2024). The role of organizational culture and structure in implementing sustainability initiatives. Business Ethics, the Environment and Responsibility (BEER). ISSN 2694-6416. doi: 10.1111/beer.12710. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  To address the multiple grand challenges facing humanity, there is an urgent need for businesses to become more sustainable. This study explores the implementation of sustainability initiatives through an interview-based single case study of an organization in the food and beverage industry. Specifically, this study adopts a Natural-Resource-Based View of the firm to examine the role of organizational culture and structure in the implementation process. It argues that to successfully implement sustainability initiatives, a flexible structure and a green organizational culture grounded in a shared sustainability vision are essential. The findings reveal that, despite the in-practice flat organizational structure of the case organization, there was limited knowledge of the organization's sustainability vision among organizational members across all organizational levels. This could be attributed to a lack of internal communication within the organization, which constitutes a barrier to the successful dissemination of green values throughout the organization's family-like, inclusive, and diverse work environment. This study proposes a three-part approach for practitioners attempting to implement sustainability initiatives: (1) enhance organizational awareness and communication of the sustainability vision; (2) cultivate a green organizational culture; and (3) advocate for a collaborative, inclusive and decentralized approach to fostering sustainability. This approach is vital not only for sustaining the organization's competitive advantage but also for achieving improved environmental and social outcomes.

• Jaganjac, Berina; Abrahamsen, Line M.; Olsen, Torunn Skåltveit & Hunnes, John Arngrim (2023). Is It Time to Reclaim the ‘Ethics’ in Business Ethics Education? Journal of Business Ethics. ISSN 0167-4544. 190, p. 1–22. doi: 10.1007/s10551-023-05400-5. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study explores the business ethics education literature published between 1982 and 2021. A systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis of 862 scholarly articles spanning 40 years of research on business ethics education revealed a thematic shift in the literature. Whereas older articles were predominantly concerned with ethics, relatively newer articles mainly focus on addressing the broader concept of sustainability. A content analysis of the 25 most locally cited articles between 1987 and 2012 identified two main research streams: (a) integration of business ethics into business school curricula and (b) the pedagogical approaches and tools used to teach business ethics. An additional content analysis of the 15 most locally cited articles published between 2016 and 2021 revealed that discussions related to integration and pedagogical approaches and tools were still ongoing in the literature, albeit with a focus on sustainability-related concepts such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME). Building upon our findings and existing literature, we develop a framework that we refer to as Transforming Ethics Education in Business Schools (TEEBS), which we argue may help business schools reclaim the ‘ethics’ in business ethics education.

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• Jaganjac, Berina (2025). When billions are lost, who pays the moral price? Full text in Research Archive
• Jaganjac, Berina (2025). Financial Institutions, Ethics, and National Culture. Full text in Research Archive
• Jaganjac, Berina (2025). The Role of Ethics in Financial Crisis Narratives. Full text in Research Archive

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